Tower of London

The Tower of London was built in 1066 by William the Conqueror. Technically the name Towers of London would be more appropriate, since the complex exists of twenty towers. In its thousand years of history the Tower has served variously as a royal fortress, a prison, an armoury and an execution site, to name a few.

It also houses the Crown Jewels and has done so for hundreds of years. Nowadays they’re on display, when they’re not being worn by Queen Elisabeth. You can admire the royal sceptre, the sword and Queen Mother’s Crown with the Kol-I-Noor diamond, among many other things. Every half hour a free guided tour with one of the Beefeater leaves from the Middle Tower.

Address: Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4AB